Tuesday, October 23, 2012

Gillman Barracks

"Creativity is allowing yourself to make mistakes. Art is knowing which ones to keep". Located off Alexandra Road, this place features 13 galleries of contemporary art sprawled over a large area. Do not expect to only be seeing paintings hanging off the walls.

I am clueless about art, and art isn't just about liking what you see, it is about understanding what it is about, and the process behind it.

The above installation, "And we dreamt we were birds" by Donna Ong features a room with beds hung up. I was thinking to myself why the beds look like they were floating, and how is that "art". The reason why the beds were hanging is because Gillman Barracks used to be a British army barrack and the reason for the beds to appear as if they are floating is remind people of its past - sort of like the ghosts of Gillman's past (soldiers, bunk beds, etc) floating in the air. It did creep me up a bit but i figured there isn't anything to be afraid of since it was broad daylight.

You can expect to see different kinds of art work at Gillman Barracks, from paintings, graffiti, installations, as well as art pieces. And because the art works are located at many different buildings stretched over 1km, good weather is a must. It started to rain after while we were halfway through viewing the galleries.

One of my favorite galleries was the graffiti works at Michael Janssen gallery. The exhibition is titled "Blended by Desire" by four very talented Indonesian graffiti artists - Mushowir Bing, Sanchia Hamidjaja, Ricky "babay" Janitra and POPO. Whoever said graffiti isn't a form of art? The gallery features a whole room of different graffiti. And yes, photos are allowed just in case you were wondering.

Out of all the art I saw that day, my favorite was the installation by IndieGuerillas (Indonesia). It's not difficult to spot this space, although tucked in the corner of Gillman Barracks. You can spot bright pink curtains as the entrance/door before you enter the space. Upon entering, you find yourself in a dark pink room with a lot of lights with graphic fixtures hanging down.

I'm not sure if you are allowed to touch the art installations (i hope you are because i did just a little). We intend go back soon to check out the rest of the galleries, and also you might want to know that Gillman Barracks also has dining options such as Masons, The Naked Finn, as well as Timbre @ Gillman. I'd say for a place away from the crowd and heartland, spending my weekend here was more than ideal. For your info, entry is free, but like most art places, it closes on Mondays.